8mm Forum: New to 8mm filming

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Posted by Prospero Porras (Member # 6012) on August 04, 2017, 11:24 AM:

Good morning everyone,
I am very new to filming and need some guidance. I recently bought a Kodak brownie F 2.7 (I believe is the model of the camera) at a flea market. My questions are, what type of film can I use to shoot some film? I just want to do basic filming of my kids and maybe dome random things. But I can't find a straight answer online. Last question, there was film in the camera could it still be Good? I opened it up and saw there was film in it and instantly closed it, did I ruin it Or will it develops Ok? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you all!!!!

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 04, 2017, 11:47 AM:

Oh boy! I hate to be a bearer of potential bad tidings, but I believe that this was a standard 8mm film stock camera and unless you can actually find some un-exposed film stock that was in deep freeze in some camera shop, you won't have a chance to shoot anything with it. Even if you could shoot it, i don't think that there is a film lab that could process it these days.

Now, if you want to shoot super 8 film, there are lots of available super 8 cameras out there, on ebay and otherwise, and in the case of super 8, there are even brand NEW film stock being produced! Great film stock by the way, AND it can be processed as well. All quite expensive but worthwhile if you have the bucks, especially if you attach a scope lense to the front of the camera.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 04, 2017, 03:03 PM:

Prospero
Your camera takes double run 8mm film, known as Regular 8 or in some countries as standard 8.
Film and processing is still available. Click on my link below.
http://www.yalefilmandvideo.com/filmsales.php?expandable=3
The actual film is 16mm wide and goes through the camera twice. It exposes each half of the side to produce two 25ft lengths of 8mm film. The film laboratory, after processing, will join both lengths together and return it to you on a 50ft spool.
You will need a projector that will run Regular 8 film.
NOTE: A projector for Super 8 film will NOT project this film.

Posted by Prospero Porras (Member # 6012) on August 04, 2017, 03:17 PM:

Awesome! Thank you for all your help. Please be patient with me. This is all new and very interesting to me. Thanks again!!!!!

Posted by Renzo Dal Bo (Member # 5688) on August 04, 2017, 03:48 PM:

Osi, I agree with you about the present film in the Prospero's camera, but, as already Maurice told, I would not be so pessimistic about new 8mm film stocks. There is also the cheapest B&W reversal film that Prospero could use to test the camera: the Fomapan R100 stock. It can be found also in the USA (for example at: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/927375-REG/foma_411801_fomapan_r100_2x_stand ard.html ). Probably the seller also knows where to develop the film.

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on August 04, 2017, 05:41 PM:

Prospero, as Maurice wrote, the film in your camera would be 16mm. The film would be 25 foot in length but only half of it would be exposed to start with when filming. You then had to find a dark place, open the camera and reverse the spools so that you could film on the other side. The film processing lab would split the developed film down the middle and join the the two lengths together to produce a 50 foot reel of 8mm cine film. We've several family films shot this way. Finding a dark place (closet/cupboard) to open the camera and reverse the spools wasn't always easy and then it would have been hard to see what you were doing. When I watch a 50 foot of a family film, there's often a flash of light over a few frames where the spools were reversed. We've one film where, instead of the spools being reversed, the film was re-wound by mistake and exposed again which makes for interesting viewing.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on August 04, 2017, 05:58 PM:

As long as there will be 16 mm filmstock, there should be double/standard/regular 8 film as well as it is easy to make from 16 mm (you just need to put more perforations.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 05, 2017, 02:01 AM:

Whilst the film, as I said, is 16mm wide, it is not 16mm film as such because it has double the number of perforations.

As said by Dominique, the double 8 film can be made from 16mm film by punching the extra perforations.

The film comes on daylight loading spools and is actually longer than 25ft. This is to allow fogging of leader when loading the camera. The place for loading doesn't have to be totally dark, the comment being said to stop users loading outdoors in direct sunlight which could penetrate down the sides of the spool and create fogging.

At one time processors actually cut off the extra amount of film so as to only send back 50ft of film. Some processors did not do this and returned all the film. Users got wise to this and loaded the film totally in the dark, including turning it over. This resulted in much more useable film being returned to them!

Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on August 05, 2017, 03:04 AM:

Some great advice here from Maurice and others. Google John Schwind film supplies and you'll find reasonably priced film. Plenty of places will process this. It is incorrect to say that film and processing isn't available.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 05, 2017, 03:41 AM:

Here is an interesting video about the Kodak Brownie 8mm camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3mVj3_Ve0U

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 05, 2017, 11:07 AM:

I'm quite surprised as well as very happy to be wrong! Is this film stock stateside (U.S.) or just overseas?

The reason why I ask is that i have a lovely standard 8mm camera that just sits on the shelf as I thought it was only good for decoration! [Smile]

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on August 05, 2017, 12:18 PM:

I shoot Regular 8mm film all the time. I'm still working on my horde of Ektachrome 100D that I got from John Schwind several years ago. John Schwind

A few other places to get Regular 8mm film.

Dwayne's sells, processes and scans:
dwayne's photo

Spectra Film sells, processes and scans: spectra film

Wittner Cinetec sells film and other supplies. They also perforate their own Regular 8mm and Super 8 film from other stocks. Many of the other suppliers buy from them: Wittner Cinetec

If you find that you really enjoy filming on Regular 8mm I would recommend investing in a nicer camera like a Bolex. They are much more reliable and better made. They also made great projectors. Bolex Collector

If you want to project your film you will need to get a reversal film like the Fomapan R100 that Renzo mentioned or a color reversal film. Color reversal is harder to get right now but with Ferrania trying to bring it back and Kodak bringing back Ektachrome there will probably be more options in the near future.

Posted by Prospero Porras (Member # 6012) on August 07, 2017, 03:14 AM:

Wow!!! Thank you all for the info and for taking time out of your day to respond!!!

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